Typically, conventional detergent compositions contain mixtures of various surfactants in order to remove a wide variety of soils and stains from surfaces of articles to be laundered. Currently, formulators of detergent compositions used for cold water laundering operations generally incorporate high levels of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate surfactant into their detergent products since they are very effective in both cold and hot water wash conditions.
The linear alkylbenzene sulfonate surfactants have also been utilized frequently for their ability to provide excellent cleaning of grease and oil stains. Combinations of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate surfactants and adjunct surfactants such as alkyl sulfate surfactants are desirable because they combine the excellent grease and oil cleaning of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (along with good cleaning across a broad range of stain types) with the excellent particulate soil removal performance of alkyl sulfate surfactants and the like. Whereas alkyl sulfate surfactants are readily derived from renewable resources, it would be desirable to provide a detergent composition that could provide comparable or improved cleaning performance wherein the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate surfactants was either partially or completely replaced with adjunct surfactants that could easily be made from natural, renewable, non-petroleum raw materials and which clean a wider variety of stains and soils.
However, one formidable problem associated with alkyl sulfate surfactants is that they do not perform extremely well under cold temperature washing conditions. Such alkyl sulfate surfactants experience poor dissolution in the wash liquor when included at significant levels which naturally leads to poor cleaning performance. Thus, total replacement or significant replacement of the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate surfactants has been difficult. Such problems have also been experienced with other surfactants such as cationic surfactants and alkyl ethoxy sulfate surfactants. A substantial portion of the consumers in the world are left with little choice other than laundering their soiled clothes in cold temperature wash waters which can have large amounts of water hardness (e.g. North America), both of which severely restrict formulation flexibility with regard to adjunct surfactant use with linear alkylbenzene sulfonate surfactant-based detergent products. As a consequence, it would be desirable to have a detergent composition which contains an optimally performing surfactant system containing linear alkylbenzene sulfonate surfactant along with other surfactants resulting in improved cleaning in cold temperature laundering operations.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a granular detergent composition which exhibits superior performance under cold temperature (i.e., 5.degree. C. to 30.degree. C.) laundering. It would also be desirable to have such a detergent composition which includes substantially renewable or more biodegradable components in the surfactant system and which can clean a wider variety of stains and soils while also exhibiting improved cleaning performance.